The DeSmet leader. (DeSmet, Kingsbury Co., Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1887-02-05
,uard aprears. Anarchy would other

old guard that they are relieved, who
then retire to their quarters. If they
should attempt the unheard Of thing Of
attempting longer to occupy the post
they become rebels against law.
Is not state created before ii can be
admitted into the unionr Congress ad-
mitS new states; it can no more create
state than it can create star. Is Da-
kota lifeless clay? Does congress breath
into 1t life? such words have been ut
tered, but you will not say it.
Statehood is a fact. Admission to the
union is an independent matter. States
preceded the union. There were orr
ginally number of them. They were
alive and acting. They formed a union
and made provision that their congress
might afterwards admit additional
states and it was contemplated that
these states should make themselves
from the outlying territory which was
first claimed hy individual states but
afterward turned over tn the United
States rs territory until the people took
possession and successvely carved out
section by section of reasonable size
and proportion and created states of
such sections. We make our own states.
If our boundary lines are not agreeable
to congress we cannot be admitted to
| the union or have our members rccog-
nized until an agreemen: asto bOuDda-
! rieS is perfected between the state and
the United States. You well say while
! the territories Of the United States are
occupied by but few, and the commu-
mites therein are weak and unable To
care for themselves, they readily yield
to the necessity Of having aid and assist
auce and protection from congress.
When they have arrived at the years of
manhood, when they have become
| strong As Dakota has, able to care for
| themselves, the territories revolt, as
did the colonies, against continuance
Of that dependent condition and the de-
NAL To them Of this grand heritage,
self government. Ind Dakota to-day
trould be completely justified an any at
tempt to assert The right Of the people IN this
respect as acre the colonies" The words
quoted are all yours; the italics are
mine.
Many Of your friends east of the Mis-
sourl have feared that you are SO fan
from the mass of the people Of the state
that YOU do not realize except partially
what we are suffering. Possibly you
do not, for you say, "the world justifies
the colonies in rebelling against this
exercise Of power; it would not justii,
! the territories in the like determine
! ton" We do not know how this may
be, but il seems that knowing we arr
oppressed as the colonies were we may
rely npon the hearts of our brothers lef1
behind us to do us justice when w
show ourselves worthy of help. But i
motif in fact we are doomed to this
bondage indefinitely, shall we not a
least better preserve our own self re
spect and the respect Of mankind b,
moving forward and doing all we cal
do towards securing self-governmen
before we, by our own inactiOn. &C
knowledge that we are provincial de
pendents? Ought we not actually L
put our state government into opera
tioD and place upon the general govern
ment the responsibility Of striking i
down?
Senator. all that you and and all o
us lack is the courage TO 90 forward anC
take what we know to he our Lawful
right. trusting the result to the God o
nations. The state government of Da
kota once in operation will never b.
stricken down. Once in operation, i
will continue while the United State,
government exists.
Our position is different from that o
the coonists in l776. though we suffe
rs much. Then the divine right O
kings was recognized. Colonial depen
dency was part Of the legal system. Ou
fathers, smarting under wrongs ant
feeling the influence of the liberia
thought of friendly France, determined
to initiate upon the continent a govern
ment which should rest upon the peOpl,
as the sovereign power. Rebellion fol
lowed, which by its success became rev
olution. and the principle Of the SOY
ereignty Of the people became funda
mental law here. This was UNIVERSAL,
recognized and when Douglas after
wards advocated the rights Of the terri
tories to fashion their own institutions
he was following the footsteps of Jefler
son and in exact line with the teaching!
Of the fathers. The free soil party op
posed him both with reason and ridi
Guile.
The limitation and eventual destruc
tion of human slavery was the purpose
OF the northern majority, and IN at
tempting to reach the goal we were lee
into allegiance to the principle of th'
indefinitely continued sovereignty o
congress over the territories. Our mo
tive was good but the principle ruinous
and the result now returns to curse Da
kota Our position should have been
douglas, you are right. but remembe
; that self-preservation is the first law o
: nature. No institution shall be eX
tended upon our soil in any territor.
: which tends to the disintegration of tn,
, union"
We must now fight our way back t
: the recognition of the underlying
abused, but living principle Of the in
herent right of the people to local self
government, as recognized by the ordi
! nance of 1857 and so many times reiter
ated by congress in relation to the ter
ritorieS and un0n the faith of Which